Locomotive-boiler front-end hinge



Jan. 31, 1928.v y

H. vlssERlNG Locouo'rIvE'BoILER FRONT END HINGE Fned'sept. 2s. 1920 2 sheets-sneer 1 Jan. 3l, 1928. 1,657,702

H. vlssERlNG LOCOMOTIVE BOILER FRONT END HINGE Filed Sept. 25. 1920 2 .Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 3l, 1942.8.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

i HARRY VISSEING, OF KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T THE OKADEE COMPANY,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCOMOTIVE-BOILER FRONT-END HINGE.

Application led September 25, 1920. Serial No. 412,649.

This invention relates to closure supports and particularly to a support for the type of closure used in boilers of railway locomotives, and commonly termed the front end I and, as it is the plate for forming the forward end of the boiler. Although this invention is illustrated and described in con* nection with the closure for the front end of a locomotive boiler, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in other relationships and with other types of construction. v v

This closure platefor the front end of a boiler'is large and extremely heavy and according to approved railway practice is secured to the boiler front by a great number of stud bolts and nuts circumferentially arranged adjacent the outer edge of the front end plate. To make thejoint between the boiler front and the front end plate absolutel tight, the nuts are turned down as close y as possible. When it is desired to remove the front end late to reach the inside of the boiler shel the nuts are all removedand the front end plate moved away from the boiler shell. To loosen this front end plate and move it away from the boiler shell is rendered extremely difficult as there will be a tendency for the front end plates to $0 stick due to the rusting of the parts and of the action of the elements, aside from the fact-or of its great weight.

Still another diiculty encountered in the removal of this front end plate is that its weight is such that a crane and tackle, or the like, is found necessary to carry the weight of the plate as soon' as it is moved away from its position of support by the boiler. This necessitates that the engine bemoved to a 40 spot where such crane and tackle are at hand.

The principal objects of this invention, are, therefore, to provide an improved ar-` rangement whereby the front end plate can be moved away from the boiler front'without the use of the amount of time and effort now required; the provision of means whereby force can be manually applied to the front end plate at spaced points adjacent its outer edge and in the direction of movement of the closure plate to and from the boiler front not only to force the front end -plate away from the boiler front but also to again cause the front end plate to correcltly seat itself on the. boiler front; the pro-- vision of an improved construction by which the end closure plate can be moved away from the boiler front without at the same time moving the front end plate from its position of supportvby the boiler; the provision of a novel mechanism which will ermit the front end plate to be moved outwardly away from the boiler front and then swung to a side so as permit free access to the boiler interior without at the same time withdrawing the end plate from .its position of support of the boiler; the provision of means whereby force may be applied alternately at different points on the front end plate for the'purpose of facilitating the ease with which the front end plate may be removed; the provision of a device of the character described whereby the mechanism for moving the front end plate is operable in two stages, in the first of which it has no actuating relationship tothe front end plate; together with such further and additional objects as may hereinafter appear.

In attaining the stated objects and certain additional benefits and advantages to be hereinafter pointed out, I have provided a construction wherein- Figure 1 is a front view of a sufficient portion of'the boiler to show the supporting structure for the front end plate;

Figure 2 is a side view with the end. closure plate seated on theboiler shell, and

Figure 3 is a side view showing the end closure plate moved away from the boiler front and swung to one side.

In the drawing, the boiler shell, 10, and the front end closure plate, ll, are held rigidly and tightly together by means of the circular rowof stud bolts and nuts 12.

As these parts are all exposed to the elements, the front end plate will tend to stick to the stud bolts and to the boiler front, and it is extremely difficult to pry the frontend plate loose from the boiler front and handle it without elaborate tackle. Furthermore, when it is pried loose special provision must be made to support theweight of the front end plate and to move it away from the boiler opening so as to be able to reach the rst 'Cotter pins, 18.

vsage, all being in registry Each of these brackets is provided with upper and lower spaced ears, 1i, 1i, extendinfr forwardly from the boiler front for a su stantial distance, each being provided with the elongated openings, 15, 15 in` vei'ticalv registration. Passing through these openings, 15, 15l for longitudinal reciprocation therein are the pins, 16, supported from the upper ears, 14, by the head, 17, and retained in. position against accidental Aloss by the To ybrace these ears, 14, against distortion, each bracket support, 13, is provided with the rib member 19.

The front end plate, 11, is mounted to swing about the pvot pins, 16, as a hinge by means of the hinge member, 20, extending outwardly beyond the front end plate 11. and rigidly supported therefrom by the bracketinembers 21, 21, each bracket ineinber', 21, being provided with two hinge menibers 20. These members, 20, engage around the pins, 16, so as to cause the two to move toffether longitudinally, the pins being guided in suoli movement by the longitudinally extended slots 15.

By this arrangement I have provided a support for the front end plate from the boiler at two points spaced apart which will permit the front end plate being moved bodily in a right line away from the boiler` front, and at the same time willr maintain the end plate in a position of support from the boiler. i

There is also thus provided an arrangement whereby after the front end plate, 11, has been moved bodily away from the boiler front, 10, and out of engagement with the stud bolts, 12, the front end plate, 11, can be swung bodily out of the path of the opening to the boiler front, to permit of free access to theboiler interior, while at the same time still retaining the end plate, 11, in supported relation to the boiler.

For additionally supporting and guiding the pin, 16, in its longitudinal movement, the bracket supports, 13, are each provi-:led with the ear, 22, positioned intermediate the ears, 14:, 14 and provided with an elongated slot similar to and in registry with the slots 15, 15 in the upper and vlower ears 14, 14.

Each of the brackets, 13, is provided with the vertical rib. 23, within the outlines of the boiler, from which extends inwardly the boss. 24. The rib, 23, and the boss, 24, as

welll as the web portion, 25, of the brace member, 19, are each provided with a pas- The passages through lthe members 23 and 24, are in registry and receive the screwthreaded portion of the actuating bolt 26 provided at its front end with the circular portion,` 2T, which engages the pin, 16, as clearly shown in the drawing. (Figure 3.) The actuating nut, 28, is carried by the bolt, 26, between the web portion, 2:3, of the flange, 19 and the boss, 211.

As a result of this arrangement, when the nut, 28, is turned to move it against either the web, 25, o1" against the boss, 24, depending upon the direction in which it is turned, such member will act as an abutment for the nut, 28,and the continued rotation thereof will cause the bolt, 25, to travel either backwardly or torwardly. This will cause the hinge pin, 16. to move in the same. direction,

and will, of course, carry with it 'the ciosure member, 11.

It will beL noticed that the space between the two members 2i and 25 is greater than the width of the nut 28. Asy a result, where it is desired to move the closure toward or l away from the boiler front, there will be a free space provided for the travel of the nut 28 before it reaches its abutment at either end. This is of considerable importance, as it will be obvious that the nut,u

28, as well as the closure member, 11, may stick, and the force necessary to rotate the nut would have to be suliicient to overcome not only the inertia, but as well the .sticking ltendency of the closure member, l1, and the nut 28.

By providing the aforementioned full space through which the lint is moved be fore this closure member is acted on, the two important results are attained of having all the force tiret applied to overcome the sticking tendency of the nut, and secondly a certain momentum is thus acquired which will make the force applied to the nut more effective in its actuation of the end plate 11.

The arrangement for giving the end plate, 11, its bodily movement is duplicated upon each hinge, which are shown at points substantially spaced from one another. The action of turning first the nut upon one hinge and then the other will be very similar to that used in which force is first applied at one point and that at another to pry an object. loose.

Having thusl described my invention and` lill) llU and towards said opening whether in alinement therewith or not, said means comprising a member mounted for rotation, and a member movable thereby and relatively thereto and to the closure.

3. In combination, a locomotive boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, securing means on the periphery of said opening for retaining said closure, and means for moving said closure bodily to- Ward and away from said opening for engaging or disengaging the closure with said securing means, said means for moving the closure including a member mounted for rotation, and a member movable thereby and relatively theretol and to the closure, said moving means when operated displacing the closure whether in alinement with the opening or not.

4:. In combination, a boiler, an opening therefor, a closure for said opening and means for supporting said closure for movement from and to the opening, said means comprising a plurality of hin es spaced from each other having indepen ent pivots, one of the pivoted members of each hinge being fixed to the boiler, and the other of said members being displaceable in a plane laterally with respect to the pivots thereof.

5. In combination, a container element having an opening, a closure element for said opening mounted for movement from and toward the container element, and means for moving said closure from and towards said opening irrespective of the angular relationship of the container and closure elements, comprising a screwthreaded member carried by one of' said first mentioned elements, and a rotatable member in screw-threaded engagement with said threaded member and acting against the other of said first mentioned elements.

6. In combination, a locomotive boiler, an opening therefor, a closure for said opening, means for supporting said closure from said boiler for bodily movement from and toward the boiler and pivotal movement with reference thereto, vcomprising a hinge pin movable longitudinally with reference to the boiler, and means for moving said hinge pin longitudinally, comprising a screw-threaded member carried by said hinge pin.

7. In combination, a locomotive boiler element having an opening, a closure element for said opening mounted for movement from and toward the boiler, and means for moving said closure from and towards said opening, comprising a screw-threaded member carried by one of said elements, a nut threaded on said screw-threaded member and abutment members on each side of the nut and spaced from each other for va greater distance than the width of the nut.

8. In a structure of the character described, in combination, a closure and a seat therefor, and means for moving said closure to and from its seat irrespective ofthe angular relationship of the two, including a movable member and a member moved thereby, the movement of said first member having two stages the first of which is ineffective to move the second member.

9. In a structure of the character described, in combination, a closure and a seat therefor, and means for moving said closure to and from its seat irrespective of the angular relationship of the two, including a rotatable member and a Vsecond member movable longitudinally upon rotation of said first member, the first part of the rotation of said first member being ineffective to move the second member.

lO. In a structure of the class described, in combination, a closure and a seat therefor and means for moving said closure axially with respect to its seat, including two relatively movable members and means for causing one of said members to move after a predetermined movement of the other.

l1. In astructure of the class described, in combination, a closure vand a seat therefor, and means for moving said closure axially with respect to its seat, including two relatively movable members, and means for causing the bodily movementof one of these members after a predetermined rotation of the other.

l2. The combination with a boiler having an opening and a closure for said opening, of a hinge for said closure including a pair of pintles, and hinge members carrying same and fixed to the boiler, and means for bodily displacing said pintles relatively to each other and to the hinge members carrying same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

HARRY VISSERING. 

